Great article on 'gang stalking' in the New York Times

An article by Mike McPhate in the New York Times in early June picks up on some recent research by Dr David James and our colleague Dr Lorraine Sheridan into the phenomenon of ‘gang-stalking’.

The article describes a group of people we have a lot of contact with through our website who believe that they are experiencing stalking by a gang of operatives. Possibly as many as a quarter of queries we receive through our contact form are people who are clearly  unwell and who believe that they are being stalked by an organised group or groups. As described in Sheridan and James’ recent article in new online slots the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, the vast majority of individuals who make claims of ‘gang stalking’ appear to be suffering from delusions. In the article Sheridan describes the internet communities for victims of ‘gang stalking’ as “echo chambers” that amplify the paranoia and certainty with which the people believe they are being targeted. This study suggests that the phenomenon of gang stalking appears to be, at least on the evidence to date, a variant of the long recognised phenomenon of false stalking victimisation, which we discuss further here.

For those who are interested, the reference for Sheridan and James’ article is:

Sheridan, L. & James, D.V. (2015). Complaints of group stalking (‘gang stalking’): An exploratory study of their nature and impact on complainants. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 26, 601-623.

I’m sure if you contacted Lorraine or David they would be happy to send a copy of the article.